Various types of locking assemblies are known for locking a first vehicle part to a second vehicle part. Typically, a striker is mounted to a first vehicle part and some type of locking ratchet is mounted to a second vehicle part. One or both of the vehicle parts can be movable relative to the other unless the ratchet is latched or locked onto the striker. In one example, a pawl can be used to maintain the locked position of the ratchet until the pawl is rotated to release the ratchet and thereby release the striker to unlock the vehicle parts from one another.
In one known arrangement, a striker is mounted to one of a vehicle seat and a vehicle body portion to which the vehicle seat is lockable and a ratchet is mounted to the other of the vehicle seat and the vehicle body portion with a pawl also mounted to the same vehicle part as the ratchet for selectively maintaining the ratchet in a locked position on the striker. One common problem associated with this type of locking assembly is rattling of the ratchet and striker relative to one another. Another problem associated with this type of locking assembly is ensuring that any anti-rattling countermeasures are effective even in the event of a vehicle crash where the anti-rattling feature is damaged and/or disabled.